Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-05-26

Are Called Upon to Play-ThOse Useful
secondary Agents"-Art Of Dow
cry Hunting.
Miss Leal, a dashing and elegant
brunette of English or Amer lean origin
and mysterious antecedents, has just
been condemned by the Paris tribunal
to four months Imprisonment for OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses.
The story proves the everlasting guilt
bility of humanity. and throws light
on curious feature of modern Eu-
ropean life, the matrimonial agency.
Nine. DemOrtier, alias Baronne de la
Rochelle, together with her partner
and lover, Lecourtois, kept matrimo-
NAL agency in a handsome suite of
rooms in the Boulevard St. German.
As luck would have it, Miss Leal, in
search of adventures, came to the
agency one day, and her beauty and
talent Immediately won her the conf
dence of the managers of the agency
and an offer of partnership, which she
accepted. Miss Leal seems to have had
considerable experience in the business,
for the agency in question was trans
formed as soon as she became interest
ed. Servants in livery were hired. and
advertisements, inserted IN Figaro and
LIE Petit Journal, announcing widows
with one million, orphans with "two
millions and no scruples," orphans
with "three millions and an insignifi-
cant blemish.' who were all anxious to
marry husbands of ''gentlemanly APP
pearance." Silly men who answered
these advertisements received by post
4 circular surmounted by the Boroness'
coronet and motto "Fdis &c gue dois,"
or in other words: "Do your duty"
The circular ran as follows:
Marriage is an incontestable necessity, and
yet many persons, men and women, are deprv-
ed Of its blessings for want Of relations The
great difficulties experienced in making good
matches and happy ard rich marriages. are due
in large measure to the absence Of serious in
termediaries. This establishment is not an
agency, inasmuca as every thing is done en-
Jdn'iii6. A commission OF two per cent is taken
on the dOwery, payable by the husband after tn 9
marriage, and after he has received the sum
The utmost discretion is guaranteed both be-
fore and after
The trick was to throw dust in the
eyes of the dupes by certain number
of preliminary formalitics and ques-
tons before presenting them to the
rich widow or orphan and to her
parents. Venerable old women were
hired to act the role of mother; the
lover of the Baroness played the part
of father or uncle the widow, the
millionaire orphan, or the orphan with
'three millions and an insignificant
blemish," was impersonated by Miss
Leal. who extortcd presents from in
Vulnerable suitors, took the Baroness
and all her pseudo relatives to the
opera at the expense of an endless
series of simpletons, and who during
the past three years has lived luxuri-
ously. and finally set up an agency on
her own account in the Rue Washing
ton. The trial was highly amusing.
thanks to the testimony of score of
dupcS Of all ranks, ages, and profess
sions from Barons down to country
BARRIERS. who had all paid tribute of
hundreds or of thousands of francs to
Miss Leal, always in the hope of win
ming her and her imaginary dover,
which was never represented at less
than 100000.
The agency of the Baronne de Ia
Rochelle and tfat of Miss Leal were
swindling affairs. There are at the
present moment in Paris between fifty
and sixty serious matrimonial agencies
having ramifications in all spheres of
society. Furthermore, IS per cent. of
the marriages in the middle and upper
classes of Paris are arranged by these
agencies. This is fact which has
been established by careful inquiry.
Now. let us see how the agency is or
ganized and how the machinery
works.
Anatole desires to marry. He does
not know girl that will suit him; his
friends can not help him; the usages
of Partisan life prevent him from max
ing acquaintance among marriagable
maidens. He therefore goes to an
agency and says, we will suppose, to
the manager:
Monsieur. 1 am 81 years of age;
am an empioye in the Bila.eral Filter
Company; l earn $50 a month, but
hope to get an increase next year. Can
you find me nice young wife. pretty,
bright and an orphan? 1 do not care
to have a mother-in-law, aid l don't
mind if the young lady is not musi-
cian."
The matrimonial agent looks over
his books. reflects, and replies:
Monsieur, / think l can fix you.